Original content and news about the autism epidemic from the perspective that autism is treatable. Anaylsis of current media treatment of autism and the environmental causes of autism.

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If President Obama Had Been Talking About the Autism "Spill"

Managing Editor's Note: Ralph Toddre has put into a post what many of us were thinking as we listened to President Obama discuss the environmental catastrophe that now threatens our Gulf ecosystems, and the both the livelihoods and health of millions of Americans. What if the President were talking about autism?

By Ralph Toddre

Good evening. As we speak, our nation faces a multitude of challenges, and tonight I want to speak with you about the battle we are waging against Autism, an epidemic that is assaulting our citizens nationwide, as well as those worldwide.

Because there has never been an epidemic of this kind, of this size, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology. That’s why I have assembled a team of our nation’s best scientists and doctors to tackle this challenge. Scientists at our national labs and experts from academia have also provided ideas and advice.

As a result of these efforts, we’ve directed the NIH, CDC, and the pharmaceuticals to mobilize additional people, equipment, and technology. And in the coming weeks and months, these efforts should clean up the toxins and delivery methods in 90% of all vaccinations and medicines administered in this country. This is until they find the cause, and stop this epidemic completely.

Already, Autism is the worst neuro-biological disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it’s not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The damage caused by this epidemic, is one we will be fighting for years and years.

But make no mistake: We will fight this with everything we’ve got, for as long as it takes. We will make the pharmaceuticals pay for the damages their companies have caused. And we will do whatever’s necessary to help our citizens recover from this tragedy that we have caused.

Tonight, I’d like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward: what were doing to clean up vaccinations, what we’re doing to help our children, and what we’re doing to make sure that a catastrophe like this never happens again.

First the cleanup:

We now have nearly 30,000 personnel who are working across the country to remove vaccinations and medicines that contain toxins. But we have to recognize that, despite our best efforts, Autism has caused devastating damage to our citizens. And sadly, no matter how effective our response is, there will be more Autism and more damage before this siege is done.

That is why the second thing we’re focused on is the recovery of our children and citizens affected by this disease. I’ve talked to advocates and families. The sadness and anger that they feel is not just about the loss of their child development and the financial devastation they have incurred; it’s about a wrenching anxiety that an entire generation may be lost.

I refuse to let that happen. Tomorrow I meet with the Chairmen and CEO’s of the pharmaceutical companies to inform them that they are to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the families and individuals who have been harmed as a result of their company’s recklessness.

And this fund will not be controlled by them. In order to insure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent third party. Beyond compensation in the short term, it’s also clear we need a long-term plan for recovery and cure.

That’s why we must make a commitment to our citizens that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment.

I make that commitment tonight.

The third part of our response plan is the steps we’re taking to ensure that a disaster like this does not happen again.

The purpose of the FDA, NIH, and CDC was to insure that what we give our children is absolutely safe, that proper technology would be in place and the necessary precautions would be taken before a drug or food was put on the market. That obviously was not the case, and I want to know why. The American people deserve to know why. The families I met with last week deserve to know why.

And I have established a national commission to understand the causes of this disease and offer recommendations on what additional safety and environmental standards we need to put in place.

Now one place we’ve already begun to take action is at the government agencies in charge of regulating the pharmaceutical companies, the CDC.

Over the last three decades, this agency has become emblematic of a failed philosophy that views all regulations with hostility, a philosophy that says corporations should be allowed to play by their own rules and police themselves, and to debunk all others that try to shed a light on what they have done to our children. At this agency, industry insiders were put in charge of industry oversight. Pharmaceutical companies showered regulators and researchers with gifts and favors and were allowed to control and write their own regulations. We need better regulations, better safety standards and better enforcement.

Time and again, the path forward has been blocked, not only by the pharma lobbyists, but also a lack of political courage and candor. The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight.

We cannot consign our children to this future. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash America’s innovation and seize control of our own destiny.

Now, there are costs associated with this, and there are some who believe that we cannot afford those costs right now. I say we cannot afford not to change, because the long-term cost to our children, our economy, and our nation are far greater.

There are numerous approaches that have merit and deserve a fair hearing in the months ahead. But the one approach I will not accept is inaction. The one answer I will not settle for is the idea that this challenge is somehow too big and too difficult to meet.

What has defined us as a nation since our founding is the capacity to shape our destiny, our determination to fight for the America we want for our children. Even if we’re unsure exactly what that looks like, even if we don’t yet precisely know how we’re going to get there, we know we’ll get there.

It’s a faith in the future that sustains us as a people. It is that same faith that sustains our children and families affected by Autism.

Autism is not the last crisis America will face. This nation has known hard times before, and we surely will know them again. Autism is something we must stop now. What sees us through—what has always seen us through—is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it.

Tonight we pray for that courage, we pray for those affected by Autism, and we pray that a hand may guide us through the storm to a brighter day.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Ralph is the father of 4 children, 2 of whom have Autism, which inspired him to become Founder and President of the Autism Coalition of Nevada. ACON’s mission is to unite advocacy groups, families, and public/private sector, to create a strong legislative presence with one voice; one cause. ACON was the driving force behind 2007 legislation that acquired self directed funding for families, and secured an unprecedented place in Nevada’s General Fund Budget, as well as the creation of the Nevada Autism Task Force. The Nevada Autism Task Force is a Governor appointed group assigned the responsibility to report to the Governor and Legislatures, the needs in the State to assist persons and families affected by Autism. Ralph was appointed as Chairman of the Task Force by the Governor.

In December of 2008, Ralph was commissioned by Governor Jim Gibbons to serve on the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. In June of 2009, due to the efforts of this Commission, ACON, and other advocacy groups, local and national, AB162 was passed, and Nevada became the 11th State to mandate insurance coverage for ASD.

Ralph is also a member of the Board of Directors of the M.I.N.D Institute at UC Davis, one of the world’s top Autism research institutes.

Comments

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I am going to try this again.... for some reason my Laptop froze and then the HD failed. People... we are in trouble. There has been a media black out in La. The OIL Blowout is no longer containable! They are about to declare La an environmental hazard and they will force evacuations of millions. The OIL will evntually cover most of the Atlantic ocean and it will kill all living creatures in the it. It will no longer rain and if it does the rain will contain traces of OIL which will kill all crops. BP has to find a solution to the is problem or in matter of 16 months we will have to face extinction. I am not making this up. This disaster is bigger than the vaccine cover up. Please take action now.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "Democrats accused BP of sacrificing safety for profit." (June 18, p. A7) The same can be said of vaccine manufacturers who enjoy no-fault liability for the products they rush to market.

That is exactly what I was thinking about during Obama's speech about the gulf. I was wishing he was talking about cleaning up the mess with our poor kids. What a toll it has taken on our kids lives and our own health. Most of us work around the clock almost to help our children so that as adults they can have lives outside of relying on the government. Our own health even starts failing and we are stuck sick ourselves and watching our children and thinking what should have been. I pray the day comes that Obama or whoever will give that imfamous speech to clean up this needless "mess" that is destroying so many lives. God bless you all.

Awesome analogy, yes, it did occur to me as I saw the oil disaster . . . another case of arrogance over science. . . if a potential outcome is too terrible and could do too much harm, it can't be possible . . . therefore, let's all pretend it is not possible.

There is this myth that has now been exploded: That corporations will police themselves when the risk and cost might be too high in case something goes awry. I can guarantee you just by what I learned of the challenger disaster, that there WERE scientists at BP who went blue in the face bringing up the point that BP should invest in true 'what if'disaster scenarios. I can guarantee you those scientists were at BP and I can also guarantee you they were silenced or fired. The culture in these businesses, just like pharma, is "don't challenge or you are out". And "don't imagine the worst case scneario cuz it simply won't happen". Denial and Arrogance. . . the crimes of our times.
GREAT POST!

Trace;
I am sorry.
I know what it is like to have to swallow down hurt and anger and go along.
Feelings when you have to bury them like that tends to be like a dampered down fire, it don't take much to make it not only burst into flames but burn even hotter. Not a good feeling at all.

Not convinced. People have been messing around with mercury for centuries (thermometers! hats!) and those who became sick with mercury poisoning were diagnosed with "mad hatter's disease" because they worked in the hatting industry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_hatter_disease

A much more obvious link is genetic. Asperger's Syndrome has been described as the engineer's disease. In fact, the place with the highest percentage of autism diagnoses in the world is Silicon Valley:

I am currently studying for my RNC exam and wouldn't you know they have questions regarding vaccination in the study prep book. In particular they ask about giving preemies everything on the same schedule as full term child. Well, I had preemies and have a child with PDD-NOS. I followed their damn schedule and totally disagree with it yet I must answer it "correctly" on the exam!! Just makes me sick.

a bit of deja-vu - I seem to recall posting some thread(s) here a while ago referencing Turkish Air flight 981, which crashed and killed all 346 passengers. a recap...

"American Airlines Flight 96 was a regular McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 flight operated by American Airlines. The flight suffered a cargo door failure on 12 June 1972 while flying over Windsor, Ontario"

"In response, the FAA, in charge of actually implementing [the] recommendations, agreed with McDonnell Douglas that the additional venting would be difficult to install."

"In spite of the recommendations, two years later Turkish Airlines Flight 981 suffered an almost identical failure, but lost all control of the tail surfaces. The plane crashed outside Paris, killing all 346 passengers and crew onboard."

"In the aftermath of that accident, the Applegate memorandum was discovered and introduced into evidence during the massive civil lawsuit that followed. Many commentators subsequently blamed the aircraft manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas, and other aviation authorities, for failing to learn lessons from the Flight 96 accident. If the warning signs of Flight 96 had been heeded, the Turkish Airlines disaster would have been avoided."

Yes, your analogy is frightening, because vaccine madness is so real. Personally, I don't think that "cleaning up" vaccines will make them safe. I also don't believe that we should be taking a nuanced approach to vaccine safety. There is a Tsunami of biologicals in the pharma pipeline, which is coming at us at full speed. We need to wake up to the risks. The majority of them are intended to be administered as parenterals, meaning they will bypass most of our natural immune defenses in the gut. They will directly affect the colloidal stability of our blood. The likelihood of "adventitious presence" of biotechnology-enhanced events, e.g. recombinant DNA material, will be very high. The human genome is under epigenetic control. How much stress can it withstand before something goes terribly wrong?

Brilliant! I found myself transported to an alternate universe, one in which the president might have actually given this speech. Then I came back to this unjust universe clearer than ever and mad as hell. I highly recommmend the "trip" for anyone who wants to shake off their numbness over how bad things have become-- go feel how things should have been for a second. I'll be sharing this widely. Thank you.

Your re-written speech for our President should be published on every editorial page in this country .. because .. the autism epidemic will eventually prove more catastrophic to our families, communities, economy and country .. than BP's oil spill.

Yes .. BP's oil spill is a tragedy for pristine beaches, wetlands and wildlife habitats .. but .. the autism epidemic is a tragedy for mankind itself.

That such a speech has never been given, by ANY president in the last two decades .. is clear evidence our government .. is guilty of complacency at the highest levels .. wilfully derelict in their duty to protect our children from an epidemic that threatens to dwarf all epidemics that have come before it.

By all means...

PLUG THE HOLE!!!!

But .. even more urgently needed....

DO THE DAMN "VACCINATED VS. UNVACCINATED" STUDY AND PROVE ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT VACCINES ARE AS "SAFE AND HARMLESS" AS THEY INSIST THEY ARE!!!

unlikely... this kind of speech will ever happen, since vaccines are wrapped up into the medical pharmaceutical food chemical pesticide and even biolgoical warfare/military complexes, aka the backbone of our economy. Unlikely they will ever ADMIT the wrongs they have done, and UNLIKELY it will change until one thing happens. We don't consume their product, ever, in any amount, in any form. This is the ONLY thing that will clean up their act. And let's get this straight, ain't no way you can clean a vaccine, or make them safer. The very premise goes against what nature has done for millenia, that is, we exist because we have concurred disease by eating/living right, cleanliness and hygeine. This is the only way we conquer diseases. This is the only way nature has desgined and if we go against that nature, not only will out children pay for this consequence, but us, and future generations will. For simply decades children have been killed and maimed by this vehicle of damage, and once damaged, you are damaged goods, and likely won't be heard of again, unless you have very good lawyers, and a healthy and wealthy bank account, and or you have celebrity status and or you are completely aware of the signs of damage and pick up on it quickly. That likely is not the scenario for ninety nine percent of us, and THEY know that. We have no power, no choices, but to comply, to stand by and watch, and they win, every single time. Likely as well, it's not just vaccines, it's our birthing method, our scopes when pregnant, our amalgams in our teeth, the food we eat, the plastics we microwave in, the viruses we harbored from our vaccines as children, our unhealthy lifestyles, taking manmade medicines (tylenol, abx's), etc etc etc. I can't just put all my blame on pharma, they had a heavy hand, but so did all these other industries and their so called "safe practices". I would have done better in the age of birthing my kids in a cabin, letting us live off the land then this modern equivalent of armagedden.

My son did not receive vaccines, therefore, all other toxins are enough to cause developmental delays. I believe if he were vaccinated, he would have gone to the point of no return. We can't forget - the health of the toxic mom, mercury in fillings, toxins in clothes and mattresses, toxins in toys and playgrounds, and just as important, the toxins in our food.

Well I do not think it is ONLY the pharmaceutical companies that must take the rap. The medical profession have their fair share of blame and must be overhauled, as must the medical training schools and universities .
They have been defending this corrupt view for decades now,even more shamefully in the last few years as the evidence and awareness has increased.

It's the scatter of damage isn't it - if it was all in one place they couldn't pretend. Today, in a Guardian-online blog I have been challenging Prof Stephen Curry, stuctural biologist, of Imperial College, London (and Nature.com blogger) to defend the hopeless safety studies for MMR. We await his response: